Clients

Business organisation ONL voor ondernemers requested Castro's assistance in regards to communications support. The main work included live broadcasts during the Lower House campaign, podcasts, articles and social media management:

"ONL is of course the voice of entrepreneurs in the Netherlands. We want that voice to be very well heard. We sought support for that. Castro has filled that role fantastically. We worked together wonderfully!"

Hans Biesheuvel | Chairman ONL voor Ondernemers

Making children in hospitals forget for a moment that they are sick. That is the goal of Gilat Foundation, interactive theater for children in academic children's hospitals. Almost immediately after Castro Communicatie started in 2019, we started helping Stichting Gilat with their communications. The foundation is now active in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Nijmegen and on Curaçao.

"Gilat Foundation has the dream of providing interactive theater to all sick children in the Netherlands and in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. Castro has been very involved in helping us for years with contacts with the government and putting our foundation well on the map."

Jair Eisenmann | Chairman Gilat Foundation

ENERGYNEST is a Norwegian energy company that uses heat storage to help make industry more sustainable. It contracted Castro to become better known, increase network and overall reputation in the Netherlands:

"ENERGYNEST accelerates the energy transition of industry with thermal storage and renewable heat. Since 2023, we have also been active in the Netherlands. Castro helps us to become known in the Netherlands. They do that with a lot of knowledge of the energy sector and a strong network with the media and government. Thank you!"

Mareike Schumm | Head of Marketing & Communications ENERGYNEST

SpiritsNL is the trade association of spirits producers, with members such as A Brand New Day, Lucas Bols and Hooghoudt. Since 2021, we have been supporting SpiritsNL with their communications, especially aimed at political-administrative stakeholders.

"Castro has been successfully helping us with communications and campaigns for several years. They have the right knowledge and expertise to get our message across. Our plea to not increase alcohol taxes (the result of this is that more consumers will buy abroad) made the national media and led to a proposed increase being partially reversed."

Betty de Boer | Director SpiritsNL

Pathé engaged Castro for stakeholder liaison support, with a focus on the theaters' immediate surroundings:

"For a company like Pathé, it is important to have good contacts with the surrounding area of our theaters. We asked Castro Communicatie to guide our theater managers in this regard. The main message from Stefan and Frits: "Make friends when you don't need them yet." Our managers have received many useful tips and are very enthusiastic."

Jacques Hoendervangers | CEO Pathé Netherlands

Smart Delta Resources is a cross-border collaboration between companies, port, knowledge institutions, network operators and governments in the Scheldt-Delta region. Their ambition is a competitive, climate neutral and circular industry in 2050.

An ambitious goal, which created a major challenge: how can Smart Delta Resources communicate that mission and vision as effectively as possible, both internally toward and with all members, and to the outside world, including policymakers?

That's why they approached Castro Communications. By developing a clear positioning, storyline, and communication strategy, we helped Smart Delta Resources articulate their ambitious goals in an understandable and appealing way. This forms the basis for all Smart Delta Resources' communications.

Castro Communications is now helping to further develop the positioning into a clear communication approach, communication tools and a media campaign.

"Castro Communications' expertise and hands-on approach enabled us to translate our message into a clear and compelling strategy. Many people are impressed with how well our vision is now articulated and further implemented. It really felt like Castro was part of our team."

- Onno Sinke | Communications Manager Smart Delta Resources

J&J Innovative Medicine Netherlands (formerly Janssen, Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson) approached Castro in the summer of 2023. The company asked if, in the run-up to the Lower House elections, we could organize an election activity around the theme of healthcare. Eventually, in consultation with J&J and the other two clients (Amgen and MSD), an election debate was chosen.

The organization of the debate ended up being a co-production of Castro and New Balls Please Netherlands (our joint venture together with Belgian event organizer New Balls Please). Humberto Tan acted as debate leader and Frits Huffnagel as co-host. Participants included Fleur Agema (PVV), Mona Keijzer (BBB) and Sophie Hermans (VVD). Many thousands of guests watched live online via telegraaf.nl.

NPO found the recording and debate so successful that the broadcaster broadcast the election debate many times until the elections on NPO Politics.The success of the debate in The Hague was repeated in April 2024 ahead of the European elections. In Brussels, Castro EU and New Balls Please organized another debate, this time with Frits Wester as debate leader. The list leaders of D66 and NSC participated, as well as directly eligible candidates from VVD and BBB. Once again, NPO broadcast the debate many times.

"I experienced the cooperation with Castro and New Balls Please as incredibly pleasant. It was a conscious choice because they combine an excellent network in politics and media with a lot of experience in organizing events and all the technology involved. Castro and New Balls Please do not settle for a six, they go for a top result and, as far as I am concerned, they succeeded."

Koen Venekamp | Lead Government Affairs & Policy at Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine Netherlands

Flink delivers groceries quickly that can be ordered online through its app or website. The "flash delivery company" engaged Castro Communications in late 2021. At the time, there were many discussions with various municipalities about where delivery companies could or could not set up shop. Different municipalities dealt with the flash delivery phenomenon very differently. Some saw it as retail, others did not. The result: a lot of confusion about where you could or could not open a location. Castro has been supporting Flink for three years now with contacts with governments and the media. For the Netherlands and regularly for the headquarters.

By making many contacts and having conversations with aldermen and officials of all the more than 40 municipalities where Flink operates and by pursuing a proactive media policy, the image about flash delivery has improved enormously. It led, for example, to extensive interviews in the Volkskrant and the Telegraaf in 2023 with Flink director Kiesler about how the company ensured all the improvements.

Flink itself has grown so fast that more than a million Dutch people have now ordered from the company.

"Flink has become very popular in a short period of time. We have a lot of contact with the environment of our hubs, the media and the government. Castro is helping us with that excellently. Fast and pragmatic."

Robin Kiesler | General Manager Flink Netherlands

Uber requested Castro Communicatie for support in the field of (corporate) communications. We have been assisting Uber with strategy, communications and media since 2021.

"I have come to know Castro as a very hands-on agency in that they are always accessible and quick to respond. It is nice to spar with Castro on strategy and they have an excellent network."

Rick Janse Kok | Uber, Head of Communications Northern Europe